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Diary of a Mad Renovator: Landscaping and the Great Responsibility of Little Haycock

Written by Jaqui Lividini

Now that it’s May, I think (I hope!) we can officially say goodbye to the snow, and with that comes a great big hello to our next project—landscaping! I am super excited and also a bit stressed out about the landscaping for our cottage.

The property sits primarily on rock, but there are pockets of grassy areas where we can plant—but what should we plant? The driveway is currently a colorless block of black top as is the entrance to the house; how are we going to make it come to life?

Black top in front of house

There is also a chain link fence on the side of the house that needs replacing and we’re unsure if we should go with stone, picket, or western style. So there are clearly many questions that need answers. I am currently on the hunt for a great horticulturist and/or landscape architect to help me make the best choices.

Yard and fence on west side of house

Finally, there is the question of landscaping around Little Haycock. What is Little Haycock you might be wondering? I will explain! If you are looking out to the water from our house, an enormous rock sits to the left called Haycock—it’s what Haycock Point was named for. Haycock is the British name for a stack of hay and that’s what Haycock looks like.

Big Haycock

To the right of our house is a smaller rock, called Little Haycock (and Little Haycock just happens to sit on our property).

Little Haycock

After Hurricane Gloria in the ‘80s, Little Haycock fell off its perch and had to be cemented back on, and then the same thing happened recently after Irene. So, Little Haycock is now ours to watch over, and in this case, landscape around with great care. Stay tuned to see how our landscaping dilemma and solution unfolds. And if you know of a great landscape designer – LMK!